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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. press — a publisher
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. firm — steady
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — a division
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stem — to come from
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com